Chef Angelo Auriana, left, a founder of The Factory Kitchen brand, and Eduardo Perez, who will be executive chef of the restaurant that is to open at The Venetian in December.

When The Factory Kitchen opens at The Venetian in December, it’ll be with a Las Vegas veteran at the helm. The executive chef will be Eduardo Perez, formerly of several local Wolfgang Puck restaurants including Mandalay Bay’s Trattoria del Lupo, where he was executive chef from 2007-2014 before decamping for Smith & Wollensky in Miami Beach.

“We’re always excited, consistently,” Perez said when asked about the new project. “We have to keep high energy.”

Despite his years of cooking in an Italian kitchen, Perez said the venture poses challenges.

“The new concept that we’re doing is really down-to-earth Italian,” he said. “People misunderstand the Italian cuisine a lot.”

It can be summarized as “Italian food by Italians.” Perez will be working with chef Angelo Auriana who, like FactoryPlaceHospitalityGroup CEO Matteo Ferdinandi, is a native of Italy. Auriana and Ferdinandi debuted The Factory Kitchen brand in 2013 in the Arts District of downtown Los Angeles.

Perez says the cuisine is based on dishes handed down over the generations in various regions of Italy.

“Working with chef Angelo, he’s an amazing individual,” he said. “I’ve been (with the company) a little over a month. I still have a lot to learn from him.”

Ferdinandi and Auriana looked far and wide when coming up with the concept.

“Most of the American public has their mind set on the menu items you find over and over again in different Italian restaurants,” Ferdinandi said. “We span the peninsula from north to south, with an emphasis on Liguria. Basically, from town to town you have very different recipes. All of our concepts, these are not the foods you can find in each and every place, but that are very unique to that specific region or town we want to re-create. We’re not reinventing anything; we’re promoting the reality of the history of the foods for the American public.”

The Factory Kitchen will be on The Venetian’s restaurant row, in the space formerly occupied by B&B Ristorante. (Its casual-dining spot, Sixth + Mill Pizzeria and Bar, is expected to open in April in the Grand Canal Shoppes, in the space formerly occupied by Otto Enoteca.)

“That’s very exciting,” Ferdinandi said of the location. “So vibrant. You’ve got giants nearby. We’re just excited to be a part of it — bringing the heritage of our country to the United States.”

The Review-Journal is owned by the family of Las Vegas Sands Chairman and CEO Sheldon Adelson. Las Vegas Sands operates The Venetian and Palazzo.

Electric Daisy Carnival attendees began to vacate the Las Vegas Motor Speedway starting before 5 a.m., the majority heading south on Interstate 15.

What it's like to skip the lines and fly by helicopter to EDC

What it's like to skip the lines and fly by helicopter to EDC. (Janna Karel Las Vegas Review-Journal)

DJ Steve Aoki visits Las Vegas comic book store

DJ Steve Aoki visits Torpedo Comics in Las Vegas Friday, May 17, 2019, for a signing for his new comic book series "Neon Future." (K.M. Cannon/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @KMCannonPhoto

Las Vegas Smith & Wollensky opens at The Venetian

After 18 years, the Smith & Wollensky location on Las Vegas’ south Strip closed in 2017, to be re-born two years later with a rib-cutting — instead of a ribbon-cutting — in The Grand Canal Shoppes at The Venetian. (Heidi Knapp Rinella/Review-Journal)

Colin Cantwell, Creator Of Iconic Star Wars Ships Visits Vegas

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Bunky the Clown at the clown convention

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Frying soft-shell crab at Lola’s in Las Vegas

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There are plenty of events going on May the 4th this year around Las Vegas. Celebrate Star Wars and Comic Book Day all at once. The Rogue Toys, the 501st, Rebel Legion and Millennium Fandom Bar are all hosting fun events to help celebrate your geek-dom. (Mat Luschek / Review-Journal)

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The M, Park MGM and NoMad are just a few great pools in Las Vegas. (Mat Luschek/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Jose Andres explains Iberico pork

(Al Mancini/Las Vega Review-Journal)

Inside Life is Beautiful

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Tattoo'd America Pops Up In Vegas

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Jose Andres gets key to the Strip

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Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Weekender runs Thursday, April 18th through Sunday, April 21st with a huge car show on Saturday featuring The Reverend Horton Heat, The Delta Bombers and The Coasters. (Michael Quine/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Brownie sundae at VegeNation in Las Vegas is completely vegan

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